Northern Frontier

Biodata

History

Imperial Conquest and Rebellion

The empire conquered the Snow Kingdom in the Northern Frontier, destroying its royal court and killing its royal family. Descendants of surviving warriors withdrew into the wilderness and formed the Snow Oath, pledging revenge against imperial rule. Even after conquest, many areas remained in the hands of the Snowland Remnants 1 32.

Two years before Louis’s arrival, a massive rebellion nearly severed the region from the empire. Rebels breached Frost Glaive City’s outer wall, and Duke Edmund needed three months of fighting to suppress them. Border fortresses were destroyed, granaries burned, and more than half his army was lost; his only son also died. Order had still not been fully restored when the new pioneering lords began arriving 4.

Northern Frontier Reclamation Edict

The emperor ordered scions of the great noble houses to establish northern territories, granting land in exchange for their contribution to border security. The policy also weakened powerful noble families by drawing their members and resources into the frontier. Most houses responded by sending expendable or poorly regarded offspring rather than their strongest heirs 1.

Edmund had hoped the newcomers would help rebuild and defend the region. Their largely dismal reputations instead convinced him to leave them to fend for themselves. Louis Calvin arrived as one of these pioneer barons, while Joern Harvey later volunteered to settle beside him despite having no obligation to come north 4 33.

Development of Red Tide Fief

Louis registered a 300-square-kilometer territory in the southeastern frontier and named it Red Tide Fief. Its geothermal heat, seasonal fisheries, cold iron, and hidden demon marrow deposit offered advantages absent from many neighboring territories 5 6.

After arriving, Louis organized food production, housing, workshops, and military training. Hot-spring irrigation allowed his fields to thaw while much of the region remained frozen. By Bradley’s inspection, Red Tide’s crops were approaching harvest while other frontier fiefs were still sowing, and its new housing surpassed the progress of some settlements established years earlier 9 13 38.

The discovery of an exceptionally large demon marrow vein attracted conditional Calvin Family support. Louis retained mining and processing within the fief while offering the family sales rights, creating a potential regional industry without surrendering direct control of production 39 40 43.

Campaign Against the Snow Oath

After six reported Snow Oath atrocities in two months, Edmund ordered every vassal mobilized to surround and destroy the rebels’ strongholds. His forces also had to guard the borders against northern tribes. He explicitly included the recently arrived southern development lords, whom he regarded as expendable 46.

The formal summons required each lord to lead a stipulated number of troops to an assigned assembly point in person. Delay or defiance would be treated as treason against the empire. Louis was ordered to muster at Snow Eagle City; the campaign had not yet been shown taking place when he received the order 50.

Geography and Climate

• Persistent cold: The region is described as frozen year-round, with barren land, snowbound roads, and biting winds. Most of the frontier remains snow-covered even after spring begins 1 13 38.
• Uneven habitability: Some southeastern areas are slightly warmer and can support cold-resistant crops outside the bitter winter, though cultivation remains difficult 5.
• Local geothermal exceptions: Red Tide Fief contains vents and hot springs that warm soil and provide opportunities for heating. Channeling hot-spring water into fields thaws the ground, but prolonged use risks salt damage to the soil 6 13.

Notable Locations

Government and Settlement

• Regional authority: Duke Edmund rules Frost Glaive City and exercises actual control over the Northern Frontier Province. Frontier lords, including Louis, are nominally his vassals 5 46.
• Territory registration: Pioneer lords present an imperial Reclamation Certificate and select unclaimed land outside restricted zones. Edmund approves and stamps the registration, formally granting territorial sovereignty 5.
• Military obligations: Vassal status requires participation in the duke’s suppression campaigns; the Snow Oath summons makes attendance and minimum troop contributions compulsory 46 50.
• Divided loyalties: Knights supplied by Edmund obey Louis locally but retain their loyalty to the Northern Frontier 6.
• Limited outside protection: The Calvin Family’s influence carries weight in the region, but its distant heartland limits its ability to protect northern interests. Duke Calvin leaves Louis responsible for his own local alliances and political position 5 39 43.

Economy and Living Conditions

Scarcity and Labor

• Food: Food is the frontier’s most expensive commodity, making dependable fisheries and cultivable land especially valuable 6.
• Manpower: Pioneering lords and smugglers recognize labor as a critical shortage. Slave markets operate openly in practice despite occupying a legal gray area within the empire 7.
• Seeds: Reclamation creates demand exceeding the available seed supply, drawing southern merchants such as Jack to Frost Glaive City 16.
• Equipment: Cold and poverty leave soldiers using worn-out boots and inadequate clothing; new leather armor and northern boots are prized necessities 11.
• Settlement conditions: Frost Glaive City has muddy streets, dilapidated buildings, and poorly clothed residents. Bradley encounters similarly desolate fiefs during his northern journey 16 38.
• Housing: Red Tide’s first communal dwellings combine local frontier housing with Louis’s longhouse design. Built one-third below ground level, they retain heat more effectively 10.

Resources

Threats and Wildlife

Hostile Factions

• Snow Oath — The frontier’s largest terrorist rebel organization, descended from the conquered Snow Kingdom. Its members attack fiefs, massacre civilians, and abduct nobles and knights for sacrificial rituals 32 46.
• Cold Moon Tribe — A major northern power known for Blood-Boiling Berserkers and archers. Repeated raids make it a bitter enemy of Edmund; its chief’s poisoning triggers civil war and a purge of the ruling family 14 17.
• Bandits — Scarce resources and weak security make banditry widespread. Armed escorts do not guarantee safety, as Joern’s expedition discovers at Blue-Rock Rift 31 32.

Dangerous Creatures